By Femi Mustapha, in Kaduna
The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, and the Central South University (CSU), China, have reached an agreement to reactivate and expand the scope of their 3+2 double degree partnership, which was initiated in 2017.
The academic collaboration began in 2017 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). This program enables students to study for three years at Ahmadu Bello University and then spend two years at Central South University in China, ultimately graduating with degrees from both institutions.
When the partnership was fully established in 2018, the first batch of 45 ABU students traveled to China to complete the degree program at CSU. The collaboration continued successfully until around 2021, when it was disrupted mainly due to global lockdowns prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, both parties have agreed to revive and broaden the partnership following a virtual meeting held on December 19, 2025, which aimed to achieve this purpose.
The new agreement will also incorporate staff exchange programs, joint research supervision, and other collaborative academic initiatives.
During the online meeting, the Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, provided a historical overview of the partnership, emphasizing that the collaboration serves as a “flagship model for engineering education in Nigeria.” He expressed his deep appreciation to CSU’s leadership for what he termed a “highly productive virtual meeting.”
Prof. Ahmed highlighted ABU’s enthusiasm regarding CSU’s commitment to reactivating the landmark 3+2 Double Degree Program. He stated that the meeting reaffirmed the strong bond between the two institutions, exemplifying the ideals of the China-Africa Cooperation framework.
He also noted the CSU’s willingness to expand the collaboration into critical areas such as medical and life sciences, renewable energy, and computer engineering.
The ABU team, led by the Vice-Chancellor during the virtual meeting, included Prof. M.I. Umar-Buratai, Director of the Directorate of Advancement and International Education; Prof. J.M. Kaura, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering; Prof. B.H.S. Amartey, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering; Dr. Ahmed Zakaria, Assistant Director of the Directorate of Advancement and International Education; and Dr. Mohammed Ashiru, Coordinator of the 3+2 Double Degree Program.
The CSU team was led by Vice-Chancellor Li Zhihong and included Yin Gang, Director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchanges; Zhan Liu, Dean of the School of International Education; Wang Weidong, Dean of the Faculty of Transport Engineering; Peng Yong, Vice Dean of the School of Traffic and Transportation Engineering; and other members of CSU management staff.
